Everyone is different
by smallsapphire
Summary: Follow Amber Black, the girl who accidentally chose Dauntless, through her initiation and her life in the faction she never expected to belong to? Will she make it? Or will the factionless claim her as their own? Rated T for probably some language, nothing explicit.
1. Chapter 1

Hi. I like writing. I was also bored. The two collided. Now I'm writing fanfiction. I have no idea where this story is going, if i get a good readership I'll probably continue. If not- meh. Read, If you want to, don't, if you dont.

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A/N do you think I own this fandom? no, veronica roth does. dont be thick.

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Bored kinda did not cut it. I had nothing- utterly NOTHING to do, only wait. Watching that clock turn and click as the second hand dragged itself across the clock face. I turned over on my duvet and lay face down into the downy covers, limp. Not even comfortable, just waiting. Tick, tick, tick, tick. On my back now, staring at the ceiling until it swam through my vision blurrily. Sweating in the sunlight that scalded me though the gritty glass of my window. I stood up from my bed and walked over to the window and pushed it open trying to tempt some non-existent day was sleepy like my faction and the atmosphere? Likewise. My watch beeped and I let a flurry of excitement trickle through my insides. What if I chose to be different?

I had always expected the day of my choosing to be a day for excitement and new horizons, a bright future. All I could see were fields, endless fields and a scorching sun. The same sun that washed Amity day after day. Everyone expected it to be that way. I had seven brothers, they all stayed right here in the same faction. All except Reece, but we never talk about him, Mum always cries when she remembers the dishonour and whispering that happened when the son of two Amity leaders decided that he was better off being Candor. Dad always goes quiet if we mention him. He- at least- cared to some extent for the wellbeing of his children and foremost of his eldest son who moved away because of his heritage. As much as I disliked the prospect of remaining in Amity for the rest of my life, I hated the notion that I could maybe be the next Reece. That was the only thing that tied me to my born-faction.

I fell asleep.

"Amber sweetie, oughtn't you to get up? It's seven thirty!"

"Seven thirty?" I ask incredulously.

"Yep."

"Oh no, thanks for waking me Dad, I'm gonna have to hurry."

I dash into the bathroom and deftly plait my dark red hair into a long, messy braid and chuck a red hoodie over my yellow singlet. I pull on a pair of brown leather pants and some boots then trudge out of the house. Alone. This is the eighth Choosing Ceremony that my family has had a delegate in, and they are sufficiently satisfied that I'll be back at home before the night is done. I approach the tracks where the Dauntless are jumping on, they'll get there before me by train. I wait for a bus. The A14 is late as usual and filled with the happy families who are excited to see who their new faction members will be. An Abnegation begins to vacate her seat for me as I board the run down old vehicle but I place my hand on her shoulder and smile gently indication that she needn't make room for me, she smiles gratefully in return. She looks about my age, sixteen, she has the same eyes as me, the darkest brown, but she has blonde hair, we look almost identical despite our different hair colours, I can tell that she notices it too.

An Erudite man vacates the seat next to her and hops off the bus, I slide into it quickly before other people realised it was empty. The Abnegation girl look at me and opens her mouth to speak.

"Sorry to bother you but, I can't help the feeling that I know you."

"No, its fine, I was thinking the same thing, what's your name?"

"Esther Lowing, what about you?"

"Amber Black, my god, we do look similar, don't we?"

"You could say that I suppose. Are you choosing today?" Esther replies shyly

"Yes, I am, what about you?" I ask in return.

"I'm choosing too." She says hurriedly, blushing. "Where are your family?

"I'm the last of eight children, and my family are all absolutely certain that I won't be leaving Amity, they're too used to the choosing to bother coming to mine. What about your family? Why aren't they here?"

"My mother, Susan Black is busy setting up and my father Joshua Lowing is at a council meeting."

The Bus screeches to a halt outside the Hub and the doors open, I stand up and walk out alongside Esther. We enter the Hub together and she walks off to the grey clad fifth of the Amphitheatre as I sit amongst the red and yellow of the Amity.

The Choosing has just begun.

…Abernathy

…Ackerly

…Adamo

…Adelaide

…Adkins

…Agustine

…Alder

…Albert

…Amster

…Anderson

The A's progressed and people grew drowsy.

There were no Dauntless, three Candor, two Abnegation, five Erudite and one Amity.

…Bagman

…Bell

…Beavis

…Bitram

…Black, Amber

I stood up and strolled to the front of the Amit section and received the knife from the Abnegation leader, Joshua Lowing, I made the small cut on the palm of my hand and stared at the soil in the Amity bowl. My eyes roved over the sea of people in front of me. The Grey, Blue, Black and White, Red and Yellow and finally on the Black, my hand hovered over the Amity bowl and for a second, with the blood dripping down my palm and about to drop, adventurously it shivered over the Dauntless coals about to drop before my courage failed me and in a split second my hands moved back over to the soil. Too late, a single drop of my blood was now crackling and sputtering on the coals.

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So, I hope you liked that chapter. Follow, Fav, Review if you want me to keep going!

x Azure


	2. Chapter 2

**Soooo, this is the second chapter, it was a fast update because it was sunday and I have no life. Pretty standard because to some extent I'm following the storyline until initiation begins. Enjoy it if you can, if it's terrible please let me know.**

 **we already went through the fact that i dont own divergent**

 **x-Azure**

Shit. That wasn't supposed to happen. The people in black cheer as I take a step down from the podium, my bleeding hand in a cloth. I look at some shocked faces as I take a seat amongst the rowdy, restless Dauntless, they clap me on the back as I turn away from staring wistfully at the Amity- who sit peacefully in their chairs. I was the first Dauntless transfer. The only other Dauntless who chose before me was a big, heavily built guy. What was his name again? He turned to face me.

"Dan Baez" he says. "Nice to meet you."

He holds out a big, calloused hand and I shake it, grinning. If there was one thing you could credit the Dauntless for being, it was friendly.

"Amber Black." I reply.

He seems at ease in his chair amongst the Dauntless, he wears a tight fitting black t-shirt under a black bomber jacket, it shows his muscle definition clearly, but, he as a person seems only interested in getting to know me as a person rather than being interested in me as a female. He makes it easier for me at least, knowing that even if I had accidentally chosen Dauntless, people were still willing to be friendly

"What's Dauntless like?" I ask as the Erudite clap for a small, wiry boy who is making their way towards them.

"Different from most other factions I think, I mean, we don't judge based on age or gender or looks, only by your capabilities and your courage. You've got to be active and healthy too…"

The Dauntless cheer again as I realise that another transfer has been made, a girl from Erudite, she's short and slender and is wearing a pair of jeans and a blue flannel, she sits in the seat next to me, she has a straight face and is determinedly looking in the opposite direction than her home faction as if trying not to make eye contact. Together, Dan and I asked her questions and try to get her to open up about her family and home, but she puts earphones in and stares at the podium, ignoring us completely.

A few more Dauntless borns join us, their names are Ben and Dominica Green, a pair of twins. And a boy named Stanley. The twins are nice enough but mainly preoccupied with each other, Stanley threatened to punch me. My gut squirmed as I remembered that I had never wanted to be here in the first place, it sent a shiver down my spine.

The next person to join us surprised everyone, she was shy looking as she stood on the podium and covered in baggy grey clothes, she took up the knife with a hand that shook. Slowly, Esther let her blood drip onto the coals where countless generations of dauntless had also first pledged their allegiance. She took the cloth gratefully, looking at her father in the eye as she took it. Then, graciously, she swept her tall willowy form from the platform and into the black mass that was my new faction.

It went faster after that, the rest of the alphabet went whizzing by, there were a total of fifteen initiates including myself by the end of the ceremony, I stayed close to Esther and Dan, both of whose warm personalities were happy enough to call me a friend. Then, all too soon it was over and I knew, there was no going back, that life was going to be a whole lot different, and, if my suspicions were correct- a whole lot harder. Part of me wasn't complaining.

The scraping of chairs sounded as the Erudite left, heads held high and walking elegantly out of the hall, followed by the Candor, loud and chatty, the Amity laid back and languid and then us- the Dauntless. It was fast paced a roar and then everyone picked themselves up and ran- tore for the exit, there was screaming and smiling, laughter and boisterously rowdy behaviour as the pounding of one hundred boots on the linoleum floor of the Hub staircase.

The running felt good, I totally let loose, trying my best to ignore and release all the emotions that sat threateningly in my chest. Fear- what was Dauntless initiation like? Guilt- what had I done to my family? Relief- I wasn't tied down by my birth-faction. Each pounding footfall was another chance to leave part of my past behind. The Hub fell further into the distance as we all powered towards the tracks, there was a series of clunks in the distance and the steady sound of a train thunking on its rails. The pace had gone up a level.

Everyone sprinted, ahead of me some of the older Dauntless were already boarding the moving train, then I realised, I was falling behind the rest of the pack. Esther was up ahead of me, not too far, Dan was already inside a carriage, I just reach the tracks as the last carriage is leaving. Without thinking, I seize a bar on the back of the train and pull myself onto a tiny ledge, riding flat on the back of the final carriage. My knuckles turn white on the bar but I don't loosen my grip. Up ahead I hear shouts.

I brave a look at the front of the train and my blood chills. The people are jumping off. I hear shouts of delight and I know that there's no way that I can make it onto the rooftop opposite me if I have to jump from my ledge. Still gripping the bar I edge my way around the corner of the train. My time is running out. I shut my eyes and push myself into the car, inside, everyone stares. The eyes of Dan, Esther, the Twins and the Erudite girl look like they've seen a ghost.

"Well what are you waiting for? JUMP!" I yell.

And for probably the eighth time that night I acted without thinking, blood pounding in my ears all I did was run blindly and leap. I closed my eyes, it was a mistake because I certainly didn't expect the ground to meet me as soon as it did and the shock ran through me like an earthquake, the pebbles digging into my bare palms and through my now torn pants.

 **follow, fav if you want me to continue, I will if I get a good readership! and review if you like it, or you hate it! tbh I don't really care if you hate it.**

 **Azure**


	3. Chapter 3

**chapter three now. yay? idk. bored again and i can't go outside because it's forty one degrees (C) today (105.8 Farenheit for all of the people who use the Imperial system, can't imagine why you would but yeah) and i would literally be friend like an egg in my latina body not to mention also having to spend way too much time near thong wearing (flip flops for you americans) bogans (rednecks i think you call them?). on the bright side im going to see Spectre for the second time this arvo and mockingjay** ( ͡o ͜ʖ ͡o) **tomorrow!**

 **Anyway. Enjoy this chapter if you want. yeh, thats about it.**

 **Ciao. x Azure**

 **ps. we all know veronica roth owns divergent, if you think i do your IQ must be lower than that of bush turkey.**

I don't think anybody fell- more importantly, I didn't. I was alive, in fact, I'd never felt more alive than sitting here on a gritty, pebbly roof. I stood up and brushed my hair out of my face, staring at the sky. Maybe my aptitude test was right? Could I ever belong amongst the adrenaline seeking Dauntless?

The rest of the people in my carriage followed, Dominica landed behind me, followed by Dan, Ben and the Erudite girl. Dominica grinned, showing even rows of pearly teeth and a pale but heavily freckled face that was almost invisible under a thick growth of curly blonde hair. She had wicked brown eyes that glinted mischievously.

"That was mad. We thought you were a goner for sure when we didn't see you in our carriage on the train. Factionless, you know?"

She held her hand up and smiled.

"Well don't leave me hanging."

I was confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She looked at me incredulously.

"Ummmm? High five."

I still didn't get it.

"What's a high five?"

Dominica rolled her eyes and turned around to look at her brother.

"Oi Ben! High Five!"

She held up her hand and to my surprise, he slapped it, hard. She turned back to face me, eyebrows raised. I figured that it must be something Dauntless to high five people, the Amity never encouraged things like hitting and striking.

"Get it? Now- high five!"

She held out her hand and I hit it, softly, I knew I was strong, I could hit pretty hard. All those years working the Amity land meant that I had a powerful body but I had always been taught not to hurt anyone.

"Pansycake." She said and punched my arm before walking away, a smile on her face.

I was alone now and searched the crowd to find a friendly face, Esther's maybe, or Dan's. To my disappointment I could find neither. Then the deep voice of a man boomed through the crowd.

"Initiates, congratulations to those of you who made it on and off of that train. But that was only the beginning of Dauntless initiation. I am warning you now that this process in not for the faint hearted. Courage is rewarded…"

The speaker had light hair and fair skin, his eyebrow was pierced with something black and his lip was adorned with a bright silver ring, the edges of tattoos could be seen emerging from his collar. He had a grim, determined look to him and he stared us all down with eyes like ice.

"…and cowardice-." He hesitated and then spoke in an undertone. "- is punished. In Dauntless, cowardice is definitely not something you want on your record, so, what better way to prove yourself not a coward than to jump- first."

The man stood aside and I realised he was standing on a small ledge behind which there was a sheer drop, I craned my head to see what might be there to catch you but all I could see was a deep, dark hole. Nobody volunteered. It was clear that this wasn't something they, any of them, wanted to do. The smirk that crossed the blonde man's face grew wider and wider, his eyes opening with some sort of vindictive pleasure. The sun was beating down hard despite the bitter breeze and I grew uncomfortable.

Then, in the silence that followed I heard screams. Yells of fear and a distant.

"HELP!" "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

They seemed to come from behind me, seemingly from over the edge of the roof. I approached the edge. Alone- nobody followed, they just stared in horror and wonder. All their stares saying – 'who could it be?'

When I looked over the edge the shock of what I saw threw off my balance, I nearly fell off. All the same I wobbled dangerously.

"Es-s-ther?" I asked weakly.

"Thank God you noticed! Please, please help me, I can't hold on much longer."

Esther was gripping a steel bar that stock out of a smashed window pane, her knuckles were white from the strain. I held a hand over the side of the building and grabbed Esther's wrist, I pulled. Other people who had realised what was happening, Dan approached me from behind and pinned my ankles to the ground so that Esther's weight wouldn't pull me over the edge. Together we managed to haul her over the side of the building and back onto the roof.

Nobody said a word but simply stared at the three of us. The blanched Abnegation girl standing next to the Amity whose big heart had brought the courage to rescue her. The big blond man who had asked for volunteers broke the silence.

"You. Amity Transfer, what's your name?"

"Amber Black." I reply. The lines on his face deepen.

"Well Miss Black, you will learn one day that in Dauntless, people help themselves, you've got to be self-sufficient, the people who aren't become factionless. Unless you want your _stiff friend_ to become factionless, I suggest you let her fight her own battles in future."

It scared me. Wait no. It terrified me. The look that he gave me was terrifying, dark, pure hatred and venom. The message was clear. Mind your own business. He seemed about to turn away and resume pressuring one of our number to jump from the ledge but then stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me again, smiling. A grotesque contortion which didn't sit naturally on his face at all.

"Then again…" he continues. "What better way to renounce cowardice than to jump first? Go ahead. We're all waiting."

I didn't dare to refuse, wiping the sweat of my palms on my loose brown pants I push delicately through the crowd and stand at the precipice of the building staring into the deep dark hole below and knowing that there must be something at the bottom to break my fall. I turn my back to the drop and allow myself to fall, I'm weightless. Tumbling into the dark. Then. My body hits a net. I could cry from laughter and hysteria. A net, it was that simple. Maybe- just maybe my aptitude test was right.

 **did you enjoy it? review! tell me what you think, also. i want some names for dauntless initiates. a good readership means faster updates and more chapters.**

 **x Azure.**

 **review review review**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm so sorry. this is a really boring chapter. meh. i was on a very tight schedule. also, more than anything, I would love some reviews! please please please. yeah. you probably won't enjoy this chapter. i'm sorry. i'll update soon. apologies for my horrendous grammar.**

 **x Azure**

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Ambers POV

I was told that our initiate class was average sized. 20. 10 transfers and 10 dauntless born. I wonder if anyone else transferred by accident. Probably not. At this point, after the war between Erudite and Abnegation that took place thirty years ago the story of Dauntless initiation was no secret, nor had it changed as far as I knew. The fighting had been brought to an abrupt end when the Treaty was signed. I knew the story well, we had learnt about in in Middle Levels Faction History. Jeanine had an upper hand, and Erudite had followed her lead, however, it had been the Amity, my home who had decided that the violence couldn't continue. They refused to provide food for the Erudite unless they terminated their vendetta. Everyone had to bow to peace every once in a while, nobody could continue without the food that was provided for them by Amity. The fighting stopped and a representative from each faction came together with my father, Robert Black, an Abnegation transfer to sign an anti-war agreement. Each faction gave their conditions for the agreement. Amity wanted peace, Abnegation wanted a rebuilt society, Erudite wanted a say in Government, Candor- full, uncensored truth and debate on the political stability of the City. And Dauntless? A full pardon for the heinous crimes they had committed under the control of the simulation serum. Only under these conditions would Amity continue to provide the staple for our society.

Dauntless and Erudite no longer get along in camaraderie. They distrust each other. Jeanine for all I know is still in a position of power within her own faction and the Divergent are still blamed for being the reason for the conflict. Rounded up and forced into camps to live life paying for the crimes of their ancestors, labourers.

But at least there's peace right?

That's the thing, the growing unrest has driven wedges of hate between the factions, now, our city isn't about using our special traits to solve the problems we face, it's about living and being better than the faction that yours dislikes, as an Amity, I find myself the glue that holds everyone together.

Strong, calloused hands pull me out of the net and I look at the tanned face of a dauntless man with brown hair and tan skin.

"An Amity? That's a first. What's your name?"

I think for a second, I know that this is a time where I can drop the identity that forced me to live life in the shadows of my father and my family. Everyone knows who my family is, the Blacks, and my father, Robert, the hero who brought about the Treaty. I don't want the respect or the attitude that people give me for being the daughter of our city's saviour. I don't want my father's name. I want my mother's even less. I want something that gives me a clean slate. What makes a clean slate? Change.

"Amber Changing."

I like it.

The boy clears his throat.

"First jumper, Amber!"

Even if he doesn't mention my made up last name I know that from this point on, it won't define me. My eyes adjust to the dark cavern where a crowd of people have gathered, tattooed and pierced. All clothed in black. I join them and I watch as thirty one people jump into the net.

Right after me comes Esther, the abnegation transfer, willowy and blonde. Followed by:

Stanley, the dauntless born dark hair and alabaster skin with grey eyes

Dominica, born, smiling at the thrill, a real adrenaline seeker.

Dan, also born, muscly, friendly, short dark brown hair and green eyes

Celeste, the reserved erudite transfer.

Ben, a male version of Dominica, screaming like a maniac.

Andrea, a Candor transfer with dark skin and ridiculously long black hair in a braid

Hunter, dauntless born, an Asiatic complexion but very tall and strong

Natasha, another Candor transfer, white blonde hair and pale skin with clear blue eyes.

Thomas, born, short but very muscly and tough looking, seems friendly.

Tessa, also dauntless born, dark skinned with frizzy hair braided into corn rows and a round friendly face

Olympia, an Erudite transfer, she's short with curly, light brown hair and eyebrows so light they're nearly invisible.

Maddy, a dauntless born with an excited face, she's skinny and has the look of someone who has grown a lot in a short period of time.

Tamsin, born in dauntless, looks tougher than a bed of nails, her hair dyed bright green and cut like a boy's.

Kurt, an Erudite transfer, he has olive skin and brown hair cropped close to his scalp

Angelique also an Erudite transfer, she's Caucasian with strikingly blue eyes and very tall

Jack, a dauntless born. Tall and athletic with small freckles that dot the skin of his arms.

And two siblings, Finn and Imogen, they have a middle-eastern sort of appearance and transferred from Candor together.

It's a big group. The boy who helped me out of the net stands up with someone who looks shockingly like him, he waves his arms in an indication that we should gather around.

"Listen up initiates!" he says "I am Zeke! And this is my idiot brother Uri! We will be your instructors during initiation, I will take the transfers and the dauntless borns will have to find their way with Uriah- god help you all. Transfers follow me!"

And with that, we move along into the dark halls that I assume lead into the dauntless compound.

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 **review, follow, favourite if you feel like it.**

 **x Azure**


	5. Chapter 5

**hahahahahhaha sorry. it took a while. love ya.**

 **Azure x**

I had never imagined the Dauntless compound but I'm pretty certain that if I had it wouldn't look like this. Our group walks down the hallway into low ceilinged passageways where blue lights like those in the Hub illuminate spots of light on the ground and an echoing sound of water dripping reverberates through the walls. Zeke smirks as we shuffle forward, then, he stops and gestures for everyone to come forward. As we move into the light the thing we stopped for becomes clear, down below us, a huge space filled with light and the noise of people talking fills my eyes.

"This," says Zeke, "is the Pit, you will one day learn to love it."

Pit is a good way to describe the space before us, it's deep and wide and the walls are dotted with platforms that are the entrances to shops and some residences, leading to these platforms are thin steel walkways, some of them many metres off the ground, none of these have railings. On the bottom of the Pit a crowd swarms where people laugh talk and drink. Small children run along the walkways and the Dauntless yell and whoop as people pull stunts and accept dares. The sight itself, the atmosphere, it's so Dauntless that I can't help but smile.

Above the pit one of the buildings that we saw from the outside towers massively, a tremendous structure made of nothing but glass.

"That," Zeke continues, pointing at the tower. "-is the Pire. You'll have more to do with it later."

I we keep walking, down into the Pit and towards a hallway where you could hear the echoing crash of water pounding rock, Zeke takes our group forward over an iron pathway over a pure black abyss. There must be a river running down the bottom of there. I'm right, there's an almighty crash and then a flurry of cold water sprays up from the hole, the path that leads over the hole has small rails around it, but it would be only too easy for someone to get around them if they were in danger, suicidal or intoxicated.

"This is the chasm." He says with another smirk. "Don't be an idiot and jump off, you will die, it's happened before."

"Who would be an idiot enough to jump?" says an incredulous voice from the back, it's the Erudite transfer with the olive skin. Kurt. I silently agree but it was a stupid thing to voice out loud, Zeke looks less than pleased.

"Since when were the Erudite smart mouths? Leave it to the Candor please. Though to answer your question would be several people." Zeke hesitates then continues. "- My instructor through initiation, Alb…" he begins before stopping hurriedly. "…A boy in my brothers initiate class, not to mention many people who can't deal with the stress of initiation. So- Kurt? Is it? You don't have to be an idiot to end up in the chasm. Got it?"

"Yes." Kurt replies, eyes downcast.

Zeke smiles. "Don't freak yourself out transfer, most people make it." He says.

We keep walking, the lights grow brighter reveal what is clearly a mess hall, we walk in to many stares from the Dauntless and find empty tables, there aren't any, Esther by my side, we stroll through the rows and find a table, Dan's table, he sits with Maddy, Jack, Ben, Dominica, Stanley and Tamsin. Dan calls out to us.

"Hey Amber- Esther! Sit down, have a burger." He smiles at Esther tentatively as she takes a seat.

Stanley speaks up for the first time.

"Esther? What a Stiff name." he says cuttingly.

I look at him, disgusted.

"What's _your_ problem Stan Hayes?" Maddy spits. "You are soooo like your dad. From what I've heard, he was a dumbass as well."

Esther blushes and stared at the stone floor of the mess hall, her blonde hair hiding her face as she tentatively picks up a piece of beef and turns it around in her fingers. Dan gives Stanley a look of venom. I pick my food carefully as I add ingredients to my burger, lettuce, onion, tomato and cheese, plain, simple. Vegetarian. I get a side of fries and then cover them in tomato sauce. The lack of meat makes me feel in touch with the part of me that is still Amity. The Amity part wants to tell Stanley off, I would have, but the Dauntless streak reminds me of my place, this is a new world for me. It's a new world for many people.

Olympia and Celeste walk towards our table together.

"Can we join your table?" Olympia asks

"Sure." Dominica replies "There's exactly room for two more."

Olympia sits down next to Maddy and the two grin at one-another, as an Amity, one thing we were always taught to look out for was for signs of friendship and conflict. There was friendship going to happen here.

Celeste, on the other hand stares at her food, sitting on the other side of the table. She looks away from Olympia on purpose, I notice that she hasn't taken any meat either. I look at her enquiringly.

"Vegetarian?" I ask. She smiles, her face, which I see for the first time is thin, with an upturned nose and fair, freckly skin. Her eyes are so dark that they're nearly black, her eyelashes are long and reach almost up to her thin, near-perfect eyebrows. She has straight brown hair which is cut just above her shoulders. She looks tense, barriered. The barriers break away when she sees me. I don't know why but she relaxes herself. She's pretty. I think.

"yeah." She replies with a crooked, wry smile.

We both bite into our burgers and eat in silence, slowly, the crowds trickle out of the mess hall and the amount of people left dwindles.

When our table's finished we stand. I notice that both Celeste and Esther stay close to me. In front of me Maddy, Olympia and Jack hop about and joke. Esther drops back and walks with Dan. She talks to him and they smile and giggle at one-another. There's another up-and-coming friendship.

Somewhere on our way back through the maze of corridors that I am sure I will never learn, the Dauntless born leave us. Led by Zeke we make our way to a small room filled with bunks. I dash in. I always had a thing for heights, I love them, I grab the top bunk of a bed in the corner. Esther beneath me. Celeste on the bottom, next to Esther. Olympia above her.

It could have been seconds, minutes or possibly hours later. Everyone is asleep. Almost everyone. From beneath me I hear a sigh. Esther. I follow my Amity intuition and enquire as to what the problem is.

"You ok Esther?" I query.

"Yeah." She responds. "Just do me a favour, call me Essie."

I smile.

"Sure thing."

And with that, I sleep as peacefully as the Amity.

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 **review! follow! favourite!**

 **X Azure**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 I think

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 **Apologies people of earth for this chapter is late. but that's none of your business. jk i explain why later on.**

 **x Azure**

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 **A/N Also, if the source code appears someone please tell me.**

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When I wake up the next morning, I feel hollow. As though all my innards have been melted and now lie in a puddle in my shoes. And all these missing parts can never be put back the way they used to be. I look around the room, it's airless and windowless, just cold hard concrete and hollows where the blue lamps shine. Its dark, I look at my watch. The small digital face reads 3:16. Usually, in Amity, the sound of the birds can wake you in the early morning, if you live near the woods like I do. Like I did. I get out of bed, shivering in my thin red top. I pull on my pants and boots and walk out of the dorm, leaving my red hair knotted down my back. I walk down countless hallways blindly. I don't know where I am and I could never find my way back- until I make it to the Pit. I climb the stairwells and walk up into the glass Pire, right to the top, and when I realise that it too is sealed off I make my way down again and explore the pit.

…3:45…

Near the chasm I find a door, set into a damp wall. I tug the handle and to my surprise I find it unlocked, I set off down a set of stairs with my heart bumping in my mouth before the tunnel widens and I find myself on the rocks at the bottom of the chasm.

I lean my body out, over the churning waves and feel the gentle spray on my face, it's cold and makes me feel beautifully, viciously alive. Every pore in my body awake and active, wanting desperately to run, leap and bound- expend this energy. I fly back through the door and out, running to the pit again, climbing to the point where the glass just begins. I look around. Yes. With a grim satisfaction, I see the grate, a small air vent. Probably two by three feet set into the wall slightly, dripping with morning condensation. My watch beeps. 4.00. I pull the grate open and push my body into it, crawling and easing my way along on hands and knees until I finally reach the end and push the covering of the vent on the other side. The cover falls straight down. I wait a few seconds before I hear it crash. The sound is distant. All I can see from my vantage is skyline.

I wriggle my body forward and my head and shoulders emerge from the hole to stare directly into a sheer drop, fifty or sixty metres to the asphalt where the mangled mess of the vent cover lies shattered. Just to my left there is a corner where the two buildings meet and the glassy Pire that looms above casts its deep shadow in the wake of a rising, crimson sun, cloudy in the fog. Just below this corner is a small box that I guess must hold electrical circuits. It's just close enough for me to reach with my outstretched hands and perhaps just big enough for me to fit two feet on. I turn my body around so that I'm lying on my back and grip, white knuckled onto a small ridge of patchy brickwork above me, then ease my body out of the vent hole so that I'm hanging by my fingertips. I swing my hips from left to right and gain momentum before letting go and landing on top of the box, clapping hands covered in black, dusty grit.

I finally let myself look down, it's a tangled, sprawling metropolis beneath me, awash in the early morning haze, in the distance the farmlands of Amity can just be seen, spots on the horizon. In front of them, the glittering of the sunlight as it brushes the low-lying ripples of the swamp near the distant silhouette of the stationary Ferris wheel.

It's a breathtaking view.

Lights glint in the direction of the Erudite compound, they've been allowed round-the-clock electricity since the Treaty. Unfair maybe, but peace had to prevail.

Beep. 5:00

The sun has finally made its way over the horizon completely and I sit bathed in orange light, it hasn't been long since I jumped into the compound but the lack of nature and sky and air has me at tenterhooks, tense. Almost wary of danger everywhere I turned, here it was free despite all the thing that could go wrong and kill me, I felt more happy and alive, with this adrenaline coursing through my veins than ever.

A gust of wind reminds me that I am standing on a tiny box and my life could be in danger at any moment. There's no way I'm ever going to be able to get back inside the vent, I look around, I am in many regards stranded on a box in the air, I look over at the wall of the building that stands next to the Dauntless compound. There's a small chance that I can get over it if I jump far enough to grab the top of the valley gutter and pull myself over the edge. It's my only option actually. I brace myself to jump, even if I'm scared, there's no point in waiting any longer, I have to get off the box. The fun is over, panic has begun to set in. During my adrenaline rush, anything and everything could have gone horribly, terribly wrong. What had I done?

I swing my arms forward and jump, one hand, sweaty with fear slips from the metal gutter, I hang by my left hand. It's scary but it's enough. I grab the gutter with my other hand and swing the way I did before, side to side until I have enough momentum to get my legs over the edge and then use my arms to push the rest of myself over the edge and onto the gravelly rooftop.

I lie there for a moment, taking in the morning air. Breathing. In, out, in, out. Blinking my eyes against the rising sun and then sitting up to face the direction of the Pire. It's beautiful when the light catches it, and it glitters like diamonds. I would love to be able to call the place my home, but with initiation ahead, I almost doubt that I could ever make it. I check my watch. Its 5:30 I should try to get back soon. I walk around the building until I find the hole where the net lies hidden at the bottom. After the adrenaline of this morning I let myself fall backwards with my eyes closed, the wind flicking hair about me, I have no qualms about throwing myself off a building now, not anymore.

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 **yeah so i went on school camp and then we were all busy with end of year stuff and it was boring and im now on summer hols so we can expect some updating though i make no promises. Shoutout to Madaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy for aceing maths.**

 **Adios poops.**

 **X Azure**


	7. Chapter 7

**hey, so this is just a fun chapter for me to introduce some stuff, yes I'm sorry i havn't updated in** **awhile** **. tbh tho i do have other stuff to do. jokes, i have no life.**

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 **Revieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwww**

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 **X Azure**

 **and we have already established that i don't own divergent. i would be flattered if you thought i did but i dont and we all know that.**

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I get out of the net and walk over to the Pit, following hallways that I'm starting to understand the dynamics of. I use Amity intuition to feel the way the Dauntless compound lives. It breathes, and has a vibrant, pumping heart, the Pit, every day the flow of the people, its lifeblood travel through the heart and out through the passageways- its arteries and veins. All the veins connect somehow, and all of them lead in some way back to the Pit, the centre of life in Dauntless.

Once I'm back at the Pit I make my way back to the dormitories with ease, people are still asleep. Taking off my boots, I slide noiselessly into my bunk and pull the duvet over my chin to hide the clothes I wore my watch beeps. I made it back just in time. It's six. A couple of minutes later when a blond man who looks to be in around his forties or fifties comes in. he has… six piercings on his face, two on one ear, an eyebrow, one on his nose and two on his lower lip, his features are hard, chiselled, like from stone but colder than iron and his expression dangerous, tentative but a warning, I don't want to mess with him. When he walks under the light I realise that I recognise him as the pale man from on top of the building yesterday.

There are things I see in him that only an Amity could pick up, hurt, pain, desperation, lies and. Shit. Murder. This man has blood on his hands.

He hits the bunk nearest to him, the sound clanging around the dormitory and waking people up. They sit up groggily, looks of surprise and confusion mingling on their faces, you can see that they for a second that some of them don't recognise their surroundings.

"Yeah wake up transfers, take your time. It's not like we have anything to do today!" he yells. He walks past some bunks watching people with his cruel, sadistic stare. Throwing covers off of people. Andrea is still snoozing, eyes closed and leant back into her pillow. The pale man grabs her covers and pulls them off, she squeals, sitting up in her black t-shirt and pulling it down to hide her white underwear and bare legs.

Andrea stares back with eyes like ice. And opens her mouth to speak

"Who do you think you are?" she asks, eyes narrow and voice quivering, low and hoarse.

"Get away from me!" she exclaims in the same cautious tone.

He walks to the centre of the room, in the middle of the rows of bunks.

"I am Eric, I am a Dauntless leader, if you don't listen to me- _transfer –_ you will find yourself at the bottom of the chasm. Understood?"

She nods fervently and leans up against the cold stone wall.

Eric walks out of the dormitory and leaves the door swinging open. There's a flurry of activity as people vault out of beds and struggle to put on clothes without exposing too much of their bodies.

Essie holds up a sheet for me to get changed behind, I pull a set of black jeans on underneath of a simple black singlet and touched with my burgundy hoodie from Amity. As I pull it over my face I smell the pine trees that surround my house, the smell of a fire crackling in a grate and freshly turned earth. Home. I use my black leather boots, my Amity ones. I can still wear those, they're comfy, moulded to the shape of my feet. I do the same for Essie she wears a big baggy shirt, with loose pants tucked into black boots and her hair, in a bun. She hasn't changed at all except for the colour scheme and it brings a smile to my face.

We file out of the dorm and into the mess hall. We jostle thought he corridors loudly and nobody seems to mind. I walk slowly at the back of the group with Essie and that Erudite boy, Kurt. He's looking at me, not at my face, I realise, but at my chest. I feel a red stain flush into my cheeks as I tap him on the shoulder, raising my eyebrows. He turns to face me and blushes immediately.

"S-sorry." He stutters, "I was just reading your hoodie- not that I would be doing anything else." The colour then drains from his face and a little crease blooms between his eyebrows. "sorry." He finishes. Looking at his feet and brushing his brown hair off his face and shuffling towards the front of the group. I grin.

The hoodie I'm wearing bears the legend. "12th Faction Games. All Around Champion"

The Faction Games Take place every year, comprising a series of competitions, one for each faction which utilised the values of each, last year I won the fifteen years division, first out of fifty entrants, ten of each faction. I had to solve a logic puzzle for Erudite, bluff my way believably out of a sticky situation for Candor, be the first to climb the highest up the outside of a building for Dauntless, survive a night in the wilderness of Amity and build a small hut for a factionless person for Abnegation.

I can first in the Amity, Candor and Erudite divisions, second in the Dauntless, and third in the Abnegation. I came first overall. They gave me my name on a nice shiny plaque and this hoodie as a memoir. I'm dead proud actually.

Making a mental note to apologise to Kurt, I swing open the iron doors to the mess hall and sit with the same people I did yesterday and eat my breakfast, for the moment- Happy and content.

Clatter. Miss.

Twang. Miss.

Thwack.

My knife sails, handle over blade and then buries itself on the edge of the target, not bad I suppose but others are doing better. I pick up another three knives and throw them, the third one hits the bullseye. A surge of pride shivers over my shoulders.

Behind me, I hear a scream of frustration as someone's knife falls to the floor after having been lodged a little way into the board, it's Angelique. The Erudite girl.

She's white as a sheet and her hands shake, sweat beads her forehead and it's obvious under the dim lights that she's crying. Glittering tears fall to the floor audibly. As she hunches and shakes, the room has gone silent, there's no noise of knives flying through the air, only the sounds of her sobs, from the darkness behind her, a hand falls to her shoulder and she turns, Eric strides from the shadows, he's short compared to her.

He smiles but I can feel inside me that he means no good. My guts twist as he hands her a knife and steers her shoulders so she faces the target.

"Throw." He says with a smirk.

She raises the knife above her shoulder with trembling hands and he shakes his head.

"Steady your hands initiate."

The trembling turns into a shake.

"I said steady them!"

She throws and the knife flies off to the left, missing the target by a foot.

Eric grimaces and speaks again.

"Ok then. Let's see how steady you can be if you're the target. Maybe that'll teach you no to move."

He shoves her from behind and she stumbles towards the wall.

He smiles as he lets go of the knife and she closes her eyes. I see it in slow motion. There's a scream as the knife finds it's mark.

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 **review tho, i love reviews, seriously. do it.**

 **but follow and fav as well if you want, like I like them all.**

 **X Azure**


	8. Chapter 8

**And, here is another chapter. Reviewwwwwwwwwwwww plez i do love reviews!**

 **x Azure**

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There's a soft noise, a kind of hushed swishing as Angelique's long black ponytail falls to the ground. She gasps as she sees it but if it were me I would be happy and thankful for my life. Eric stares at her, smiling sickly, he looks almost sad that he hadn't killed her.

"Count your blessings initiate." He mumbles as he turns and skulks back out of the lighting.

"Dismissed."

So we finished knives, we finished guns, neither of which were particularly problematic, after Angelique's incident nothing happened too drastic. However, I was certain the next part of initiation wasn't going to be easy. I was right.

Fighting will never be my strong point, it isn't natural for an Amity to throw a punch. That said, it would really suck for me to fail initiation just because I dislike inflicting pain on people. We spend the day using punching bags, the steady thunk of flesh against fabric is all you can hear aside from Zeke's voice when he gives advice. I suck at it, by bag never sways but stays still while my knuckles spilt and bruise. I look around and compare myself to the others. Some, like Finn and Natasha are amazing fighters, Finn's strong, he throws a punch at the bag and it swings away from him on its hinge, then as it zooms back towards him he strikes out at it with his foot and sends it swinging once more, he sticks a hand out to stop it and turns to help Imogen, she's not bad either, actually, she's pretty good. Natasha is a different story, her pale face is flushed with effort but she looks vicious as she hacks at the bag with her combat boot. Cold sweat beads on my forehead, if I have to face either of them in a fight I'm screwed.

When I turn to face the other side of the room, the first thing I see is Olympia- she's red in the face as she runs toward the bag and throws a punch, it doesn't move. She faces it, screws her face up into a snarl and gives the punching bag the finger. My thoughts exactly. Kurt's next to Olympia, he watches her with amusement. He walks up to her just as she attempts another punch. It was a decent hit and the bag would've swayed slightly except for Kurt who walked up and placed a hand on the bag, smirking. I watch, laughing as she death stares him, she could be what? Five foot two? Three at a stretch? He's approaching six foot. A showdown between those two could never go in her favour but if looks could kill, this tiny, curly haired Erudite kid would be a murderer.

"It was actually about to move! What is your problem Kurt?!" She bounces on the balls of her black boots

He smirks and places a hand on her shoulder and another cupped behind his ear.

"What's that Lymps? I can't here you down there!" he calls, brushing brown hair out of his face.

She kicks him in the groin. And he drops to the floor yelling while Olympia leans over him smiling.

"Can you hear me now?" she enquires.

He groans and gives a wry smile.

"You got your message through loud and clear Lymps."

"Don't call me Lymps."

"m-kay" he says, getting up and on to his knees pulling up his black pants and shaking his hair off his face again.

Olympia catches me staring and grins.

"He'll be fine. Don't worry." She assures me with a flash of a giggle. "It's just horseplay, we've been friends for almost ever." She continues. Of course! I'd almost forgotten that those two both came from the same faction.

She goes back to punching her bag and I watch her improve, she seems to examine every inch of the bag- then, after what I assume was some Erudite calculation- she punches the bag from underneath and sends it swinging. Part of me is embarrassed that this scrawny kid from Erudite manages to strike a decent hit before I can, then I notice her jumper, it's a faction games one as well, like mine but in navy. I remember her, she came first in the Dauntless climb, Abnegation build and second in the Erudite puzzle, Candor and Amity divisions. She got second place. My jealousy disappears in a second because this girl could be a threat, she's smart and resourceful, I don't want to mess with her.

"Initiate!"

It's Eric.

I turn, blood chilling as I face him and look deep into his pale eyes. Raising one eyebrow I deign to reply, I try to be sassy. I hope it looked sassy.

"yes?" I ask

"Have you thrown a single punch in the past _hour_?" he asks incredulously.

"I don't know. Have I? You're the one who's been watching us."

I try a smirk but it's hard to look him in the face again, I stare at the wall above his head, looking at the cracked red and black paint as it peels away from the wall, in some places exposing the bare cement.

The crowd that's gathered behind him clasp hands to mouths and gasp.

Eric slaps the nearest bag which gives a resounding ring of chains to hush the audience.

"I haven't seen any so far." He threatens, pacing around the bag until he's just centimetres away from my face. He turns to the crowd.

"Amber here is about to show us a punch- _and_ \- you…" he says, pointing at Esther. "…will tell her what's wrong with it. Go on. Punch" he goads.

I face the bag. It sits there menacingly, tough canvas which I can already feel stinging my knuckles. Here goes. Feeling the stares of ten pairs of eyes on me I brush a few strands of dark red hair from my eyes and tilt my chin up. I push my balled fist into the bag with as much force as I can manage. And I watch in slow motion as the bag sways just a little bit. Cheeks flushed with warm relief I turn to face Eric and the crowd again. Nobody smiles and I feel the chill wash over me again.

"Come with me initiate." Beckons Eric as he sweeps out of the doors. I don't have any choice but to follow.

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 **Sooooo, another cliff hanger but hey! you probably don't actually care because this is a shitty fanfic. Cool. Merry Christmas.**

 **X Azure**


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